Morsi wins vote on Egypt's constitution

Egyptians have approved an Islamist-backed constitution in a final round of voting in a contentious referendum.

Saturday's voting in 17 of Egypt's 27 provinces was the second and final round of the referendum.

Preliminary results released early on Sunday by Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood showed that 71.4 per cent of those who voted on Saturday said "yes" after 95.5 per cent of the ballots were counted.

Only about eight million of the 25 million Egyptians eligible to vote - a turnout of about 30 per cent - cast their ballots.

The Brotherhood has accurately predicted election results in the past by tallying results provided by its representatives at polling centres.

In the first round of voting, about 56 per cent said "yes" to the charter. The turnout then was about 32 per cent.

The results of the two rounds mean the referendum was approved by about 63 per cent.

The vote is a victory for Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, but a costly one.

The bruising battle has stripped away hope the long-awaited constitution would bring a national consensus on Egypt's path after shedding its autocratic ruler Hosni Mubarak nearly two years ago.

Morsi disillusioned many non-Islamists who had once backed him and has become more reliant on his core support in the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists.

Hard-liners in his camp are determined to implement provisions for stricter rule by Islamic law in the charter, which is likely to further fuel divisions.

Morsi's secular opposition now faces the task of trying to organise the significant portion of the population angered by what it sees as attempts by Morsi and the Brotherhood to gain a lock on political power.

The main opposition group, the National Salvation Front, said it would start rallying for elections for the law making, lower house of parliament, expected early next year.

"We feel more empowered because of the referendum. We proved that at least we are half of society [that] doesn't approve of all this. We will build on it," the Front's spokesman, Khaled Daoud, said.

He said there was "no appetite" at the moment for further street protests.

The new constitution will come into effect once the official count is announced.

Morsi is expected to call for the election of the lower chamber no more than two months later.

In a sign of disarray in Morsi's administration, his vice president resigned during Saturday's voting.

Vice President Mahmoud Mekki's resignation had been expected since his post is eliminated under the new constitution. But his resignation statement suggested it was linked to Morsi's policies.

"I have realised a while ago that the nature of politics don't suit my professional background as a judge," his resignation letter, read on state TV, said.

Mekki said he had first submitted his resignation last month but events forced him to stay on.

The status of Central Bank Governor Farouq el-Oqdah was murkier.

State TV first reported his resignation, then soon after reported the cabinet denied he has stepped down in a possible sign of confusion.

El-Oqdah, in his post since 2003, has reportedly been seeking to step down but the administration was trying to convince him to stay on.

The confusion over el-Oqdah's status comes at a time when the government is eager to show some stability in the economy as the Egyptian pound has been sliding and a much-needed $US4.8 billion ($A4.6 billion) loan from the IMF has been postponed.

Over the past month, seven of Morsi's 17 top advisers and the one Christian among his top four aides resigned.

Like Mekki, they said they had never been consulted in advance on any of the president's moves, including his November 22 decrees, since rescinded, that granted himself near absolute powers.

Those decrees sparked large street protests by hundreds of thousands of people around the country, bringing counter-rallies by Islamists.

The turmoil was further fuelled with a Constituent Assembly almost entirely made up of Islamists finalised the constitution draft in the dead of night amid a boycott by liberals and Christians.

AP

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